Fragile
by Chinese Fox
Summary: Set in Lightning Bird's AU after Dexter's rescue in Taken, Buttercup and Blossom reflect on Ben and Dexter. Both boys posses remarkable strength, and yet, the girls are humbled by the realization of how vulnerable the human body is.


Thank you to Lightning Bird, for beta reading this one-shot and writing amazing stories to inspire me. If you haven't read her stories yet, you should. And to DesertHaze. Both she and LB have been extremely encouraging.

This is set right after Dexter is rescued in Taken, by Lightning Bird.

**Fragile:**

Blossom pulled the blankets over her sister, gently tucking them around her body the way she had seen the Professor do before, and had done with the girls since they were born. Bubbles sighed in her sleep, pulling the blankets closer around her for comfort. A small smile lit the blonde's face and her sister couldn't help but sigh.

Bubbles was the sweetest of them all, always so full of joy and willing to share her smile with anyone or offer a hug to the first person she saw who needed it. She hadn't been that way the past few days however, when news had reached the Powerpuff Girls of Dexter's kidnapping, all three of them, including the sweet-tempered Bubbles, had been furious and sick with worry. None of them had slept very much, if at all, being too tense with anxiety for their brother, especially with their father off planet working for the Plumbers.

"Blossom?"

Blossom looked up to see Buttercup standing in the bedroom doorway. Blossom had wanted to go help with Dexter's rescue, but she had understood why Ben had asked Buttercup to go. In the end, it was probably better, considering how close Buttercup was to Dexter. She would not have done well sitting behind waiting for the news. She and Bubbles had been nervous enough, Blossom could only imagine what the dark-haired girl would have been like had she been forced to wait instead of being in the middle of the action, her preferred spot.

"Buttercup . . ." she murmured, turning to face her.

"Hey," her sister shifted, obviously ill at ease. "Ben's with Dexter now."

She motioned Buttercup to move outside, following her out and pausing only to shut the door quietly behind her, hoping that Bubbles would get some sleep. Blossom moved past Buttercup, leading the way out to the living room. She sank into one of the chairs, her eyes never leaving her sister. "How is he?"

Buttercup's sigh was all the answer she needed. Their brother was a quiet person who kept his emotions under the strictest control. His iron grip on his actions and the reactions provoked from him was complete and fairly impossible to challenge. Though now that wasn't what Blossom had seen from the time she had spent with him, watching over him. His eardrums had burst, his voice was no more then a whisper from so much screaming, and he was shockingly pale. She had seen her brother injured before, but this was different.

"He's hurting. A lot. You can just tell," she added. Blossom sighed in return.

"If you'd like to see him, we can walk down to the med wing together," Buttercup offered. She smiled slightly, thinking back to when she had last seen Dexter. He had been asleep, and the doctors had assured her that he would be for a while after all the medicine they had given him. She hoped that was the case, she had no doubt he needed to rest.

"No, no. I want to let him sleep as long as his mind will let him. Ben's with him, he's in good hands. He doesn't need too many people crowding around him."

"I know . . ." She paused for a moment, playing with the edge of her shirt. "I just worry is all," she whispered. Without thought Blossom began to float out of the chair, intent on reaching her sister to ease her worry however she could. Buttercup moved quickly, placing the couch between them. "Bubbles fell asleep I see," she added hastily, trying to keep both an emotional and physical barrier between the two of them.

A frown touched Blossom's face, but she took a deep breath, trying to think of what their father would do. The Professor would let Buttercup come to him in time; she had seen him allow Buttercup to pull away, allowing her to come to him when she was ready instead of when he wanted. It was all she could do.

"Bubbles fell asleep about ten minutes or so before you came home. She wanted to stay awake, struggled to actually, but in the end, she couldn't." Buttercup nodded. Neither the pink-or green-clad girls were surprised that their sister had fallen asleep after so much stress. Blossom met her sister's gaze, knowing they were of the same thought. Dexter still had a long road ahead of him. He wasn't out of danger, despite the fact that he had been rescued. The knot in Blossom's stomach twisted at the thought.

"Has anyone been in touch with the Professor?"

Blossom shook her head, making a face. "Max said there's some interference in space. Bubbles and I recorded messages for him, and you can too when we try again, but right now we can't get a hold of him."

"Oh." Buttercup descended slowly, perching on the arm of the couch. "Oh," she repeated. "When did you call?"

"A few hours ago," she said. "He'll get the messages. Besides, the storm or whatever it is out in space can't last forever. When we call again, he might be able to answer. And then he'll come home right away." She infused more optimism into her voice then she really felt. They needed their father, all four of them did. The Professor had a wonderful talent of making everyone around him feel safe, and knowing just what to say. But right now the person who needed him most was their brother. The men in their family were extremely close, and if Dexter needed anyone besides his best friend, it was most defiantly their father.

Silence filled the room as each of the sisters left each other to her own thoughts. She knew that leaving Buttercup alone was the best idea,just as she knew that when upset, Bubbles wanted to be hugged and reassured. Bubbles needed comfort, while Buttercup needed to come to that point herself. Sometimes she needed to be left alone; occasionally she wanted to be hugged. Blossom couldn't push her though.

"He looked so fragile," Buttercup finally spoke, her voice soft.

"Dexter?" The redhead cocked her head, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she did so. She knew that her sister had been shaken by what she had seen in Pennsylvania, had seen that clear as crystal when the three sisters had been together once more. Even Buttercup, the toughest of the three, had broken down in her own way. The idea of losing Dexter was terrifying to all of them. It wouldn't surprise her if the hours Buttercup spent with their brother in Medical had reminded her of all of those emotions.

"No," she shook her head, pausing for a moment after. "And yes. It seems like if you touch Dexter, he'll break." Green eyes met pink. "We're so indestructible, almost anything can hit us in battle and we'll be fine. I know that you and Bubbles can handle yourselves, and so I don't need to worry. But Dexter . . ." she trailed off. "Anyway, I wasn't just talking about Dexter."

"You weren't?" Blossom sat forward, her eyes never leaving her sister. What else would shake Buttercup up?

"Nope. I was talking about Ben, actually."

"Ben? Fragile? How?" Ben might have been human, but Blossom knew he was a capable fighter, the wielder of the Omnitrix, and one of the best leaders in the war. The last word that came to mind when she thought of him was fragile.

"Dexter could've died. If you talk to Ben, he almost did. When he came to stay with Dexter, he was real shook up. He had to keep Dexter breathing, fight his fusion, and he heard that traitor's confession. Even for him, that can't have been sunshine and daisies."

At the mention of Bloo, Blossom's hands tightened into fists, her nails digging into her palm. She barely felt the sting. She was glad that Mandy was finding something to do with the Imaginary Friend. If she hadn't, Blossom would willingly find something _else_ to do with him, and she was sure her sisters would be rather inclined to help.

"I know that. I can't imagine what Ben went through. He was hurt, just like Dexter was."

"How we all were, you mean," Buttercup muttered, folding her arms. "We gave that little rat a place to stay after the Fusions destroyed his home, and in return he hands our brother over to that creature!" She slid down the arm of the couch onto the cushions, glaring furiously at nothing.

_That Imaginary Friend should be very glad none of us can reach him,_ Blossom thought.

"It just really bites. Dexter and Ben didn't deserve any of this," Buttercup grumbled, clutching a pillow to her stomach.

Blossom nodded absentmindedly, sinking back into her chair.

Fragile. How often had she heard that word, or used it herself? She had been fighting crime with her sisters since they had been created, and she understood how quickly one needed to act in order to preserve the balance of life and of peace. She knew that balance was extremely fragile. If it was threatened, she and her sisters sprung into action. Much like this conflict with Planet Fusion. The war however, was showing her just how cruel the world could truly be.

Most of the villains she had fought at home in Townsville hadn't been anywhere near on the same scale as those she fought now. The Gangreen Gang had always been cruel, enjoying destruction for the sake of the chaos it created. They hurt people just to see the tears. Mojo Jojo attempted to take over the town (and the world) on a weekly if not daily basis, but in comparison he was far more easily foiled. The list of criminals went on and on, and while the girls were used to fighting crime and criminals, this conflict was vastly different and more complex. Fighting the corrupt seemed far more black and white in comparison to being leaders in a war. Nothing in their past had prepared the triplets for this struggle, or the price it would exact from those dearest to them.

Their brother and his best friend seemed to be the ones paying the highest prices, however. Behind his barriers, Dexter was a person worth getting to know, and so was Ben. Blossom was of the personal opinion that both boys were too often judged for what they could do, instead of who they were. Yes, Dexter was the owner of a company at a young age, a billionaire, and had an IQ unmatched by anyone that was living or ever had been. But he was also a great brother and friend, with quirks and interests like anyone else, and in need of people who understood that.

Ben was the Wielder of the Omnitrix and the grandson of Max Tennyson, a Majister in the Plumbers, a secret interstellar police force. But Ben wasn't just a savoir of the universe or the descendent of someone famous. He was a good leader, with a stubborn streak to match Dexter's, and a true friend. He would do anything for her brother, she could see that. Why it was these two wonderful young men had the highest prices to pay, when they deserved it the least, was completely beyond the leader of the Powerpuff Girls.

Maybe in the end, everyone was fragile, no matter how strong they appeared physically. Despite the number of battles they had won, the technology, money, or power under their control, everyone was fragile. Dexter had been tortured within an inch of his life, but he had not been the only one injured. According to Buttercup, Ben had been shaken, outraged, and overwhelmed by what had happened to his best friend. No one could blame him. To see someone she saw as incredibly strong, so injured, scared her, too.

A soft sigh escaped her sister and Blossom looked up just in time to see Buttercup turn restlessly in her sleep, frowning. Even asleep, it seemed Buttercup had not escaped the thoughts that plagued her and the troubles of the day, as Bubbles had. She stood, floating to her sister's side. She pulled the throw blanket off the back of the couch, unfolding it with a quick shake, and settling it over her sister, tucked in the corners.

She stared at the dark-haired girl a few moments before leaning down to kiss her forehead, something she couldn't often do. She straightened slowly, letting herself float back to the chair and to fall into it. She thought of Bubbles, with a smile to brighten anyone's day. She thought of Buttercup, who despite her tough exterior was viciously protective of those she loved. They were her sisters, and she could never be without them. She would be lost otherwise. Even the thought of losing them or any harm coming to them shook her to the core.

With a shock that felt strangely similar to a lightning bolt, Blossom realized that must be exactly how Ben felt about Dexter. And if she was right, she could only imagine how it felt to look down at that person so important to you and see they were injured or that they had almost died. If that was as bad as she imagined-or worse- then it was no wonder Ben seemed so shaken up.

Blossom sighed. She looked over at her sister, wishing that she could follow her into sleep. She could not, however, ignore the tension in her body. Even now, she knew that if she tried it would be useless, due to the tightness in her muscles and the thoughts swirling around in her mind. Maybe the storm had passed and she would be able to get in contact with the Professor. She stood, moving to call him again.

"Please answer, Professor. We all need you."


End file.
